'It's the end of the world as we know it.' ----------- "I don't dance." Mars grumbled. "Yes you do." Venus replied with a brilliant smile. "You just don't want to." "Same difference." the martian drawled, turning to take her leave. Venus shot a hand out with lightning quick reflexes, catching the dark haired woman's wrist. "Nice try." the blonde chuckled, yanking the reluctant guardian back into the ballroom. A fine eyebrow arched. "Try? Who said anything about trying? No no. Watch this." With gentle pressure, the martian removed the fingers wrapped around her wrist and turned to depart once more. "I am succeeding. You are the one trying." "It's not going to kill you!" Venus called to her retreating form. "Doubtful." Mars muttered. Just as the fire soldier was within a few feet of the exit, she was greeted by one angry little princess, arms crossed and blocking her path. "Rei?" Great. Her tone was now drawing the attention of many of the guests and the soldier fidgeted nervously. "Where do you think you're going?" The martian swallowed hard. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told her." she grumbled, jerking a thumb back in her lover's direction. "This is not just a no, but a hell no." And eyebrow arched in response as a decidedly evil smirk crossed normally innocent features. No less than four minuets and forty seven seconds later, she counted damn it, Mars was waltzing. To be fair, she was trying. As she stumbled for what had to be the tenth time in under a minute, she let out a tired sigh and locked eyes with her partner. "I don't understand why you're so insistent on this Mina." Minako fixed her with an agitated look as she readjusted her hold. "Darling, you were a princess once too. This should be in your blood." "....have you ever been to Mars? I don't remember much, but I do remember that we were never the dancing kind." "First time for everything." "Right." she muttered, thoroughly unconvinced. A hand tugged at her arm lightly and the soldier groaned inwardly as the princess appeared beside them. "Let me cut in?" Serenity asked pleasantly, fixing Rei with a stern look. "Absolutely." Minako replied, turning the martian loose. "Watch out for the attitude though. You might get burned." Mars rolled her eyes. Did they really have time for this? It could be the freaking apocalypse in just a few scant hours, and these crazy women were worried about dancing. She cast a wary glance in the direction of the Queen, currently chatting animatedly with some of the guests and felt a small flutter of relief take hold. Everything was alright. Everything was still fine. Dear God, she was ready to climb out of her skin. Serenity took her hand as Venus was snapped up by Uranus, and the fire soldier could only watch begrudgingly as the pair moved in prefect tandem among the beautifully outfitted party goers. She felt odd and out of place in her armor, and they all stuck out like sore thumbs, but damn it all, she wasn't going to be caught unaware. Jupiter and Mercury weren't too far behind, and it looked as though neither of them had a care in the world. How could the others be so calm and at peace? She was ready to scream. "What's with the attitude?" "Huh?" The guardian started, jerked back to her current situation by the princess' condescending tone. "You know what I'm talking about." Serenity replied evenly. "Do we really have time for this?" Mars asked tiredly. "We should be getting ready." "How? By pacing around on pins and needles and barking at everyone?" "...I don't bark." the raven haired woman mumbled dejectedly. "Just think of it as my birthday present." Mars eyed her warily. If there was a point to this, she wasn't seeing it. "Could be the last one, you know? I want to remember us all together, having fun..." the blonde murmured quietly, but with enough volume for only the martian to hear. Rei stumbled and cast violet eyes downward guiltily. She hadn't thought of that. Hell, she hadn't thought of a lot of things lately. "Really." Serenity sighed, shoving the martian's shoulder. "I know you're dense, but..." Mars floundered, jaw agape. "Did you just push me?" The princess rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and dance with me." A light blush tinted her cheeks and she could only nod mutely as Serenity worked her way into the soldier's arms. She was so tiny, the guardian mused, so petite and soft. She could break so easily... Subconsciously, her arms tightened around the princess. She swore to give her life for this girl, and as they moved around the floor, she could remember the reasons why. So pure hearted and sweet. Dark eyebrows furrowed. They would have to drag the very last breath from her body before any harm came to her. Sensing her dark mood, the princess giggled lightly. "Would it kill you to smile?" Unbidden, the corners of her mouth twitched up into a smirk. "Probably." Leave it to her to try and get everyone to calm down on doomsday. One number melted into another, and before she knew it almost an hour had drifted by. She scanned the crowd, always on alert, and upon seeing a flash of an all too familiar black cloak burst into a wide grin. Endymion had just entered the ballroom, looking nervous and flustered, as though he was unsure of his purpose for being there in the first place. "Looks like your boyfriend is here." "Hm?" Serenity peeked over her shoulder and blushed. "Go dance with him." "But...I..." "Hey, think of it as an early birthday present to me." Mars stated evenly. "...cheater." "You say that like you don't want to, and we both know that's a lie." the martian sighed, letting the blonde go and giving her a gentle nudge. "Go on." Blue eyes blinked back at her one last time, and the soldier felt a twinge in her heart. Before she could stop and think about what she was doing, she leaned forward and brushed a kiss across the princess' cheek. The blonde blushed a little brighter. "What was that for?" "Luck. Move it." With that, she was gone. Mars remained locked in place for a moment longer as she watched the pair, grinning inwardly as the prince worked up the courage to ask for a dance. Arms slid around her waist from behind, and automatically she covered the hands laced together over her stomach with her own. "That was sweet of you." "Whatever." "Going to dance with me now?" The soldier laughed as she turned in the embrace and rested a hand on Minako's hip. "Could I ever really say no to you? I tried, and look what's happened!" "You should know better by now, really." They moved together, easily this time, and cerulean blue eyes twinkled. "What, after an hour you can dance now?" "I learn fast, and you're a good teacher." "Mm." They fit together perfectly, and suddenly all she could think about was the lithe body in her arms. They seemed to complement each other in way she had never dreamed of, and God, if she had known it could have been like this, she would have been dancing with Minako years ago. Why did she always have to figure these things out when it was almost too late? Too beautiful for battles... "I wish I could have seen you in a dress." Rei remarked quietly. "There's always next time." Minako replied easily. Her heart fluttered, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to carry the blonde off to bed. It was funny. She had been so paranoid about the time earlier, but now she could swear the hours were all blending together and moving much too quickly. Minako had almost always had a calming effect on her, soothing her battered nerves when she needed it the most. It could have been a dream, and maybe it almost was. She had almost forgotten the danger, awakening from her Venus induced stupor only when she noticed the prince leading Serenity out onto a balcony. "Sneaky." Minako remarked with a grin. "We should follow." "Pervert." Rei shot her a warning look but couldn't hold it under the impish grin on the blonde's face. Defeated, she burst into quiet laughter and shook her head. "You wish." "Maybe I do." In silent agreement, they trailed after the royal couple, and upon seeing a distressed look cross Jupiter's features, Mars calmly waved a hand to cut her off. Something important was about to happen, she could feel it, and she didn't want to send the entire army up into arms just yet. They rounded the bend just in time to see Endymion take Serenity into his arms and kiss her tenderly, and the fire soldier took Minako by the arm and silently guided her back into the shadows. She wasn't going to let anything interrupt this for the world, but she wasn't about to let her charge out of her sight either. Wordlessly, Minako rested her head against Rei's shoulder and turned her gaze away. Mars felt a slight twinge of guilt over the invasion of Serenity's privacy, but internally she knew she was doing what she had to. The pair slipped back inside, oblivious to the audience, and the fire soldier had to laugh a little. "About time." "Funny, I remember when we all wanted to kill him." Minako pointed out. "Yeah, well..." The blonde cocked an eyebrow expectantly and waited. "You know what? Forget it." Rei laughed. Arms wound around her neck and soft lips met hers, gentle and sweet. The martian blinked in surprise. "What was that for?" "Because I could?" "...oh." "I couldn't help it." Minako replied. "You're beautiful when you smile." Rei felt a faint prick of sorrow when she realized this could be the last quiet moment they might ever share together, and suddenly her heart felt impossibly heavy. She suddenly wished she could just take her back inside and dance the rest of the night away, but she knew better. Her smile melted away, and she tenderly brushed a gloved hand across Minako's cheek. There was so much she felt she should say, so much she should have said all along, and it felt like her last chance. She opened her mouth, but the words never came. "It's alright." the blonde whispered. "I understand." "You always do." Rei murmured, her voice cracking. "Always will." Minako agreed, and in the faint glow of the Earth above, Rei caught a glimpse of tears. The fire soldier silently tipped her chin up and tenderly kissed away each tear as the arms around her waist tightened. So much to say, and she just couldn't find the words. Their lips met again, but it wasn't soft or chaste. It tasted so bittersweet it ached, and as the kiss deepened, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble ominously. Fear gripped her heart with ice cold fingers, and the soldier felt her eyes burn. Minako released her hold, and time stopped. For one perfect second, Rei could see her more clearly than she had anything else. Crystal blue eyes were sharp and bright, strong and determined. The eyes of a leader. The sky began to turn an angry black, and from somewhere in the distance she could hear the guards stationed down below crying out the alarm. "Out of time." the blonde whispered. Rei squeezed her hand. "Remind me to give Pluto a good thrashing when we make it out of this." Minako gave her a shaky smile. "You know it." ------------------- "Get the inner chambers sealed, now!" Venus cried, turning to face the other guardians. "Just like we went over before. Mercury, you're with me until we get the disruptors working. Mars, you have the courtyard. The rest of you, hold them off on the walls as long as possible. Fall back to throne room should it start to look desperate. That's our final line, and damn it, we WILL hold it!" "You heard the lady. Let's MOVE!!" Mars barked, directing the foot soldiers that stormed into the ballroom. The men moved with almost inhuman speed as the Princess and Queen were escorted to the throne room, and for a brief moment, all that was left in the once crowded ballroom were the guardians. "We'll see if all that training paid off Mars." Uranus drawled, flashing her a cocky grin. "Guarantee you that I'll bag more than you do." the fire soldier smirked. "Now now boys." Neptune chided gently. "Hey." the pair protested in unison. "Just remember." Venus cut in, "Even if one of us should fall..." "Keep moving." Mercury finished quietly. "Even if the worst happens, I can't think of a better group of people to fight beside." Jupiter said with a grin. "I would hope that if you could, you would have called them up by now." Mars sighed. "Come on now. You're worth what, two injured men?" the thunder soldier teased. "Ouch." "She's got a point." Mercury stated evenly. "You too, Ami?" "Truth hurts." Venus replied lightly. The group burst into laughter, and Mars found herself studying each of them intently, etching their faces into her mind. God willing, come tomorrow, they would all be eating a great feast and celebrating their victory. Part of her knew however, that some of them, maybe all of them, wouldn't make it through the night. "Alright!" Jupiter cried, slamming her fist into an open palm. "Let's do our best!" "...do our best?" Mars echoed dully. "I think you just doomed us all right there." "I think we were dead before the ship even sank." Uranus laughed. "But regardless, let's give these bastards a show." Mars silently threw a prayer out to whatever God may be listening and closed her eyes. Just a little hope. That's all they needed. -------------------- The courtyard was swarmed. Never in all her years could she recall ever seeing such a throng of demons, and for every one she cut down she swore two more took it's place. She narrowly dodged a swipe aimed at her chest by a pair of wickedly sharp claws as she drove her blade into the heart of an enemy soldier at her feet. All around her, the Moon Kingdom's men were falling, but she pressed on. There was no sign of the Generals or Beryl yet, and it was honestly making her more than a little nervous. As she focused on a dual wielding creature that looked like it had been spawned from the pits of hell, she caught the faint glint of a sword near her left shoulder. Mars uttered a curse under her breath, but the blow never came. The sharp clang of steel on steel echoed briefly, and she caught a glimpse of the Earth Prince, sliding in to take the monster at her flank. "Miss me?" Endymion asked cheerily, dispatching the beast with ease. "For once." Mars admitted. "Someone has to keep an eye on the hothead." "Who are you calling a hothead?" she barked, launching a fireball into the fray. "...wow." he grunted, kicking an enemy foot solider back. "That couldn't have been timed any better." "Oh, shut up." she growled, directing her attention to her fractured squad. "Come on! Push these bastards back, or so help me, I'll cut you all down myself!" "The great motivator." Endymion drawled. "Unnecessary comments are not needed." she snapped back. "Why are you out here anyway?" "I wanted to help any way I could." She easily sidestepped an arrow fired in her general direction and scowled. "Any sign of the others?" He shook his head. "No. It's bad, worse than I had imagined. These things seem to be pouring out of every corner." She engaged another enemy, straining under the heavy sword swings and taking an open opportunity to shoot her own arrow through it's eye socket. "The Princess? The Queen?" The prince blanched momentarily but recovered quickly, taking on a creature that broke through the defensive line. He was grateful he was on their side, because by god, these women were inhuman. "Secured." Mars took a step back, breathing heavily as a portal opened several hundred yards out and the courtyard filled with demons. "Thank God, because that's more than I can say for us." Endymion shifted his gaze and felt his heart wrench at the sight before them. "This is bad..." Violet eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the last man through the portal, tall and lanky, with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. The grey uniform gave away what she already knew as her senses flew into overdrive. "Zoisite." "I was wondering when they'd show up." Endymion commented blankly. "Can you handle this?" she asked worriedly. They were his generals long before they were Beryl's, and she knew it had to be hard on the man. "Can you?" he replied quietly. "They might try to regain control of both of us. Should they succeed, I expect the results would be catastrophic." "It'll be different this time." Mars breathed, rotating her shoulder briefly and scanning the battleground for the best route to the general. "What makes you so sure?" he asked with a lopsided grin. "Desperation makes for the best motivation, and right now I can think of a pretty damn good reason for both of us to make it through this." The prince laughed. "I am so glad I'm on your side." "Indeed. How about we go cause a ruckus?" "Ladies first." "Alright." she replied, calling the fire into her hands as she prepared to blast a path through the mindless rabble. "Just try to keep up." ---------------------------- "How's it looking?" Venus threw over her shoulder, firing off a beam of golden energy at the enemy soldier closest to her. Beside her, a young volunteer struggled to push a ladder full of swarming troops off the wall and back down to the ground below. She stepped in, flashing the young man a smile as she gave a hard shove. The ladder toppled, but not before a lone warrior scrambled off the last rung, nearly landing in her lap. "Almost done!" Mercury cried back, making last minute adjustments to the portal disrupters she had assembled only days before. "No rush." her leader replied, only half joking as the tip of a dangerous blade grazed her forearm. She grasped the man by the front of his tunic and hurled him off the edge with a grunt, wincing as her shoulder popped loudly in protest. Mars had warned her that they would launch the brunt of their force against the east wing, aiming for the section of wall that had been recently repaired. But as she and her squad strained to hold the line and bar the entrance, it seemed like an impossible task. They had to be outnumbered by at least twenty to one, and she didn't have to be a genius to see that those weren't very good odds. The young soldier she had assisted only moments before her hit cold stone, hands clawing uselessly at the arrow lodged in his throat. She winced and raised her arm, ready to shout another order as the stone beneath her feet rocked violently. Stunned and confused, she struggled to regain her footing as the sky above them began to glow in a thousand colors. "...the hell?" The largest portal she had ever seen began to open down on the fields before them, and the demons and enemy soldiers all around her began to chant a horrifying war cry. Her heart jumped into double-time, pumping pure adrenaline through her veins as the witch herself descended onto the battleground, flanked by what had to be two of her generals based on the martian's description. "Got it!" Mercury shouted, and the venusian was blinded by a flash of brilliant white light. ----------------------- "She got it working! Thank God!" Jupiter cheered, driving her elbow into a charred skull. "Is that what that flash was?" Uranus ground out through clenched teeth, neatly slicing a demon in two. "Girl's a genius." the jovian beamed. "Cut the love crap." the blonde teased. "We still have our hands full here." "Dare I say it, but I think they have the palace surrounded." Neptune cut in, pushing a ladder off the wall. "But at least they can't bring in reinforcements. We just have to hold the ones we've got off." Uranus replied with a grunt. Jupiter smoothly evaded the punch aimed at her face and grasped the arm mid swing, twisting until bone snapped and hurling the man down to the soil. "I'm going to check the south line. I'd ask if you two will be alright, but that would be a rather stupid question." Uranus launched a World Shaking in tandem with Neptune's Deep Submerge, obliterating the group of warriors struggling to right the ladder all at once. "Very stupid." the blonde smirked. ----------------------- "I thought she'd be taller." Venus remarked casually. Mercury shot off an ice shard, grimacing slightly as it pierced the chest cavity of a beast that appeared to be half man, half dog. "And I think now would be a good time to fall back." Under the piercing gaze of their watchful Queen, the Dark Kingdom's soldiers surged forward with a terrifying bout of renewed vigor. "It's too soon." she murmured, her stomach tightening into a thousand tiny knots. It seemed impossibly hopeless. The foes before the palace walls looked as though they spread for eternity and back, but she took small comfort in the fact that their ranks would be unable to replenish themselves. "Venus!" Mercury cried, "We can't possibly hold them all off on our own, Beryl included!" "And I can't allow her to gain entry." the leader shot back. "They get inside, and it's OVER." As if on cue, the entire palace seemed to rock on it's foundation. "That can't be good." a soldier mumbled blearily. "Probably not." Venus agreed. The rapid assault on the walls had ceased, and that in and of itself was more than enough reason to warrant concern. She shoved one of her men aside, leaning over the stone wall and casting her eyes down to the reinforced door. It appeared as though their foes had used the Moon's beautiful landscape against them, having torn down a great number of trees and lashing the heavy trunks together into a battering ram. A force large enough to be called it's own army hefted the heavy beam and drove it into the door once more. "Archers! I need archers, NOW!" she cried hoarsely, desperation cracking her voice as the stone shook beneath her feet.
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